Sprawl
by mazman34340
Summary: Isaac Clarke's return to a regular civilian life in Sprawl, after years of mental asylum and medication, ends. M for disturbing scenes and violense.
1. Chapter 1

He would be found a week after killing the hive mind in the little transport. Security of the cargo ship found that in the cockpit recorder he spent his time moaning, sobbing, whispering phrases related to the Ishimora, and mentioning his girlfriend over and over during the week on his voyage. Security personnel were extremely cautious and hesitant when approaching Issac who seemed very mentally disturbed at this point. Not prepared to risk the lives of his crew, the captain ordered Isaac to be sedated with ranged weapons.

His level 4 armor was covered in blood. Tests would conclude it was from multiple sources. The ships captain fearing he was a serial killer sent him into lockdown heavily sedated. From minor research, they found that the Ishimora had indeed gone missing recently and sent a report to the extraction company waiting for further orders. Following the law, he immediately sent a report to Earth's Defense Force next. What happened next can not be confirmed but several EDF ships arrived to quarantine the cargo ship. EDF knew their ship, the USM valor, went missing also.

Isaac was transported off the cargo ship and into EDF hands. Isaac was interviewed under the effect of drugs. The report and eyewitness accounts made by Isaac have not or may never be made public. The planet system that the Valor was last sent to was also quarantined. Rumor is that the Ishimora was found there. An emergency repair beacon detected by a nearby colony went offline several days after it begun. An SOS beacon was also detected but went offline. The EDF released the news that the Ishimora, an old ship, had a catastrophic meltdown and exploded while in the restricted planetary system. No survivors were found.

Isaac would be found several years later. From a detention center on Earth, he was sent to Sprawl, a city near Saturn. He would continue his work including maintenance of key facilities. He has a respected reputation from his education to a fruitful but currently stagnated career. From reviews by co-workers, he has minor and moderate phobias related to areas he works in. His phobias include claustrophobia and the fear of isolation. He is not the most sociable guy. When asked about his work years before, he never gives straight answers and often becomes hostile.

On the early hours of today, several panicked communications were made from Sprawl. By the end of the day, The EDF shortly declared a communications blackout and other technical difficulties in the city. A rumor of some kind of infection and disaster has spread. No ships may approach the city of Sprawl. Communications to and from the city are unauthorized suggesting an attack perhaps terrorism. No confirmation has been made yet of an evacuation.

Isaac is to contact or be contacted by the EDF for further instructions. Communications blackout as well as an unexplained panic among the population has made it difficult for Isaac to be found. His combat experiences and memories from a previous event has made him a priority to be found by EDF squads Bravo and Alpha and any local law enforcement. Several EDF fleets have been ordered to head to Sprawl immediately. The local garrison's current orders are to secure the City Administration building and assist in the evacuation.

- Local law enforcement have been overrun. Communication channels are filled.

- Squads Alpha and Beta estimated arrival time : 4 hours / Arrive at Isaac's employment area

- EDF major reinforcements arriving in two days

- Attempts of communication from the south western area of the city have ended (possible EMP related)

- Standby

- 5:00 A.M. (Sprawl Time)


	2. Chapter 2

Slumped in his bed, Isaac dreamt. He hugged his knees with his head held low. The covers slipped off. His eyes vibrated showing his state of sleep.

"Isaac, I wish I could just talk to you", her familiar face with a blue tint greeted him. Isaac tried to touch her face but could only push his fingers through the hologram screen.

"Nichole...", he whispered. His tears fell to the floor. A small arms pushed the screen out of the way. Nichole greeted him in the flesh. Her real face appeared. Isaac pull her face towards his but before any contact, he noticed a blood stain on her shirt. He inspected the wound to find that she had been cut deeply. Looking back to Nichole's face, he noticed her eyes had a sick yellow tint. Isaac recognized that color. Her eyes began to glow with that sick color. He crept away from her. His heart began to race and his adrenaline kicked in.

"Isaac, help me", she whimpered. Nearly her whole face cringed. The more he stared, the more a slasher appeared before him. Before him, her arms became blades. The slasher crouched and then lunged at Isaac. Isaac's eyes flashed open. His legs kicked over a small land. His left arm smashed against the wall. Isaac screamed in anguish. Holding his arm, he surveyed the room. There were no beasts to be found. He could only hear the ceiling fan and look among the junk in the maintenance closet. He would hold up here to get some extra rest on more sleepless nights.

Isaac heard footsteps approach. The steel plated door at the end of the room split in half. His co-worker Robert O' Neil appeared.

"Isaac, you alright?

Isaac gave Robert a dirty look in return.

"Dam, you gashed your arm. There's a plaster around here somewhere..."

Sighing, he covered his elbow with a cloth from a bedside table. He left the room into the hallway. Robert was rummishing through some spare parts looking for the medkit. Isaac stared out of the small window. Light illuminated the room about half way. A shadow hidden half of Robert. His Sprawl logo on the shirt showed. The outline of the city administration building surrounded by five stars symbolized the city government. Otherwise, he wore a relatively mark less uniform.

"Dan wanted me to update you on the situation over by the apartments. A small communications blackout has caused a few complaints. They say a fuse blew over on one of the neighboring buildings, a uhhh... food storage building. Strange how it caused all of the comms systems to go out. We have been ordered to go as soon as possible."

Robert applied the plaster to Isaac's bleeding wound. It would recover shortly. Isaac stared out of the window to inspect the city. Some lights are on as quite a few citizens have begun work. Though, in a few hours, the majority would wake up. The freeway nearing the ground was relatively empty. Only a single ship could be seen floating a mile away. Small asteroids glitter the sky as well as a few stars.

An intercom beside the window lit up. A red light signaled it was in use. A man cleared his voice. The intercom buzzed several times.

"Robert, is Isaac there?"

"Yes, Dan, Isaac is here. He bashed his arm in his sleep, should be alright."

"Isaac had another nightmare? Dam, didn't he just visit a clinic?"

"Yes Dan. Errrr... Isaac, head over and put on your working suit and grab a tool kit. There should be a plasma cutter in there."

Isaac sighed and walked down to the other side of the hall. He opened the closet door and surveyed the dark closet. At the end was a plasma cutter kit. Issued to all maintenance workers, the plasma cutter kit could provide energy for the versatile tool. The city emblem was painted onto the side. As an added feature, the tool cutter could be quickly taken off the kit. It even could be charged by sockets.

"I got the kit, lets go."

Peter and Isaac left the maintenance bay double doors. They walked down the hallway. From there, they strolled into the elevator. The elevator had many windows allowing any occupant to look out through the city. Several personnel taxis crossed their view. The sun had risen over the horizon an hour ago. Isaac still had to get used to Sprawl time.

The elevator began to descend. Looking down, they could see the tram car station. They would then have to cross several more stations before they could reach Lobantea's suites. Watching the city boosted Isaac's mood a bit.

Peter started another conversation, "The city is now waking up. In a couple hours, the full city will be awake. Glad our assignment is before rush-hour"

"Yeah, we, those residents would be really pissed. It would of taken till afternoon to patch the issue. Do we really know where that 'fuse' is?"

"Dan is giving us more details at the station."

The elevator stopped at the ground floor. Really, it was still forty feet above the surface. The building relies on strong support columns reaching beyond the basement. There is barely any room below the lobby floor to build any useful rooms. The lobby was relatively quiet. Again, it was still too early for some real activity. Usually, it took minutes for Isaac to call the elevator and twenty minutes to reach the station. Today was his lucky day.

They walked out of the building and into the cloister. The cloister was merely a blank armored hallway protecting the citizens from radiation and the vacuum of space. Isaac could see Dan and a couple other workers speaking in the station ahead. Isaac could see the tram cars approaching. It would leave the station in thirty seconds.

"Isaac, we better hurry up!"

Isaac and Robert began to jog down the hallway. The Tram arrived in the station and he could see Dan and his co-workers leave. An intercom buzzed in the hallway. An empty computerized voice gave a slight warning that tram would leave soon. They reached the station in the nick of time. They jumped on the tram car when it was beginning to move out.

The car was small with a few advertisements and seats. The tram then left the station and was picking up speed.

His co-workers were in the front car. Isaac took a second to look around the car. There's always Peng posters were plastered all over the walls. The Tram Car was empty except for Isaac and Robert. The two tram stations before Isaac's lead up to the central hub. Most of the people used it to reach personal taxis. Isaac and Robert walked to the next car. A small plastic door opened to a more crowded room filled with the weather-faced and experienced maintenance workers. They stared awkwardly at Isaac and Robert as they crossed into the next car. They worked in the power systems sections and other major utilities. Isaac and his worker's union mainly took care of the residential and business areas.

"Looks like your kind of people Isaac"

"You think that Robert?"

"Just from what Dan told me you have a quite a bit of experience under your belt. He said you worked on many ships."

"I don't really want to talk about it now"

"You know, from the college you went to, no one would even suspect you be such a..."

"I said I don't want to talk about it. You know it is against labor laws to say such things about someone's job history."

"Sorry Isaac."

Robert was a more weak and inexperienced engineer in Sprawl. His education is worth more than six years but his job experience adds up to less than one year. His other workers were more experienced but could not trample Isaac's superior experience. Some would consider Isaac an 'old guy' like the others working in the power systems and industrial ships. Isaac was probably the only worker in his union who has worn a level four suit. They crossed another car and into the one Dan was in.

"Aww... Isaac, Robert, finally made it. I was worried you would miss this day of work."

Dan was a mature black man of over forty five. He towered over his fellow worker being 6'2. Dan pretty much ran the group of engineers. His experience rivaled Isaacs but rather than working on ships, he grew up in Sprawl and helped build it. A couple of co-workers sat on the adjacent seat. Isaac noted a long time ago that he could not find not even a single scar on their faces.

"Good, everyone is here. The communications blackout has driven the residents mad. They want all comm. links restored by lunch time. We know where the fuse is, so it shouldn't take that much time. The only work would be actually getting to there."

"What is the type of fuse," Isaac asked.

"Its standard".

Dan's radio blinked. He grabbed it signaling everyone to be quiet.

"Are you kidding me? Another one already. Yes, were are heading there now, ETA five minutes."

He put the radio down again.

"Bad news, seems the communications blackout has spread to four other apartments. This will be a little harder."

"How is this happening, we haven't had this issue in months," Robert said.

"I don't know, it could be whatever. We just need to check the maintenance office at the power hub."

"You know, their power usage has increased over the past few months. The city is considering forced rationing of their power. I guess they are too late, too much stress on the system," Robert Suggested.

"After their * winning streak by their local Z-ball team, I think this may involve a computer virus. The people here aren't as nice as the others on Earth," another co-workers suggested.

"Shut up, we will know when we get to the power hub."

"Dan, do all the apartments belong to that wealthy group who owns the southern shopping center," Isaac asked.

"Yes, Isaac, but lets just get over there."

The tram car skipped the next station due to the lack of people and stopped at the other. The tram car was then nearly filled with passengers."

"Thank god we left so early, otherwise it would of taken us forever," Dan said relieved.


	3. Chapter 3

The tram car finally stopped at their destination. They left the tram car in which the tram left the station as soon as the last workers jumped off. Rather than the bare metal and plastic covering of the their tram station, this station had more ornaments. There were also several shops, still closed. It was much more personal than most others around the city.

"Look, leather upholstery. They would never have that in any other station. Not even at the city administration building," Robert said.

"I said shut up, lets just get to the power hub and get this crap over," Dan said somewhat annoyed.

Just as they were about to head to the cloister leading to the apartments, the already dim lighting began to fade. Then, the power for the lights when out completely.

Dan was already on his radio, his supervisor sounding quite annoyed.

"Yes sir, there is a power outage. No sir, its just the lights, all critical systems are online. We are heading over right now. Lets get over there before this crap gets worse."

"I told you it was virus. It must be spreading through all over the power hub. The whole district might go down soon," The co-workers said triumphantly.

"I said already shut-it. We are almost there."

Just then, the power returned.

They cross the catwalk. Looking around, they could see a couple apartments were out of lights. The utility systems for water and air recycling seemed online still. Otherwise, there would be a panic. Still, when they entered the lobby, a small of people were already talking to the lobby manager. The lobby manager stared at Isaac's group showing them a thumb up before attending the crowd's worries. Dan made a turn into a small metallic door. They entered a de-contamination room. A computerized female voice started ,"Decontamination cycle starting". Some liquid without a scent began to spread onto the workers who had already had their engineering suites on. Isaac could already feel the liquid drying on the suit. The liquid stopped pouring from the ceiling and a couple green lights turned on. "Decontamination cycle...", before the computer's voice could finish, the power failed again. The doors were still locked.

"Dammit, Isaac, your plasma cutter. Lets get out of here. Take out the covering on that control box on the side of the room". As Dan finished saying that, the whole team brought out their flashlights. Isaac grabbed the plasma cutter from his kit. Pulling back the lever, it was cocked and ready for use. With one shot, he took out the box.

"Aren't we going to get charged for that," a co-worker asked.

"So," was the only thing Dan said. He reach over with his small pair of scissors, pulled out the box, and started cutting a couple wires.

"Emergency release activated," the computer voice said. The doors unlocked and opened.

"At least the emergency power is still active. Otherwise, we would be trapped here," Dan said with a sense of relief. "Its a short walk from here, come-on."

"Isaac, didn't you work on several ships before working on Sprawl?" Robert asked.

"Yes, but only for a certain amount of time," Isaac Answered.

"Hold up. Looks like we just need to head over to the food storage building. There are already to other members at the power hub," Dave announced.

Robert continued... "From what I know, your work is impressive. I don't know why you work with the others for utilities. They do the real thing. They run this whole damn city with power, water, and all that. Compared to our pay, they live like kings."

"The only reason why they ever make that much money is because they have that rock-hard union. I have heard that over ten corporations have tried to break it apart. Never seen anything like it," a co-worker added.

The team could hear the tapping from pipes, some of the emergency electrical systems running, and the thudded sounds of footsteps above them. Emergency lights guided the team. The lower sections of these buildings were more compact. Even with less gravity and the now cheaper ways of building such facilities, time and money was to be saved. Dave had to duck to avoid hitting metal strips on the ceiling. Dave had been here while the building was constructed. He marveled the technology going into the building. It wasn't revealed exactly what residences would be living there.

"That fuse should be located down a couple more corridors. Its a support building for the apartments. Its also used for food storage," David informed.

"Why would a single fuse cause a communications blackout for several apartments?" Isaac asked with great curiosity. It seemed to be a terrible flaw. Just one fuse?

"Many of the apartments have such buildings that give them emergency power, store food & equipment, and house utilities. This 'fuse' must be the main one. Apparently, the support building has lost power too. Conditions are gonna be rather cramp down there. At least two can fit in the maintenance access. Its just a bit bigger than a vent... Robert, I want you to do the major repairs. Saint needs to head over to the communications center through the maintenance ducts. You need to reboot all comms. Isaac, there's not too much you can do. Check the surrounding area for faults in wiring."

"Anything else sir?" Robert asked.

"No, you have your orders," Dave said.

x

They reached a small round room. It could fit all the teammates but just barely. They sent perhaps too many men for such a simple job. Yet, the power has never failed like this before. They might even need to check surrounding buildings and perform 'inspections'. This could be a long day.

The team split up. Dave stood by the wall. He was about to say something but was interrupted. The supervisor was speaking in a somewhat worried tone. Dave waved Isaac off as he went down a small corridor with one co-worker. Saint took off the covering on one side of the wall and started to head to the communications center.

"I never bothered learning your name," Isaac stated to the co-worker.

"Clemson sir."

"You want to check the wiring on that half of the wing. I will do the rest?"

"Alright Isaac."

Isaac took out a small black box from his belt [add a suitcase or utility belt?]. He unfolded in half. A small green screen showed with first displaying the Sprawl logo. It was used to map local wiring within a room or even an entire electrical systems. A small electronic pulse is sent through wires not currently used. It even had a bar showing how badly the wiring was corroded. The small screen could only point to where the wiring was giving Isaac few clues to find the faults. Though, he did not have any wiring to use as a replacement, he could always leave a note to the next maintenance team.

Isaac was beginning a process that could take hours depending on the age of the building. Maintenance workers in Sprawl tended to take shortcuts with bigger margins of error, leaving extra work for the next team. Isaac worked for at least twenty minutes finding almost no faults, cracks, or corrosion. These wires were reinforced, another upgrade not seen in most Sprawl apartments. In the wiring. small buzz begin in Isaac's headgear. Dave was calling.

"Isaac, we have a bigger problem then we thought. Looks like the electricity is failing in the whole district. Saint was right. This might be a local virus, intentional or accidental. Electrical systems should of picked up on this. No more than five buildings should of lost power. Isaac, I need you to head over to the power hub. Two other staff should of been on duty but my supervisor couldn't get hold of them. Get there ASAP. Clemson will cover you."

With that Isaac started to jog out of corridor leaving a slightly confused Clemson.

Isaac returned to the station again. Most of the citizens have returned to their homes with a portion of the power restored by backup systems. It would keep them happy for now.

"Even the transportation is starting to go offline. Isaac, you might need to walk there. Use the next train and get as close as possible, otherwise your going to have to walk. I suggest you do it rather quickly," Dave ordered.

Isaac looked down the quiet station. He heard a faint squealing in the distance. A small compartment before the platform opened. A few safety rails started to rise. This new feature was added after a few accidents. Though, it didn't stop a worker or two from jumping down before a train could arrive. Cleaning up those accidents were horrific and the damage to the tram systems were terrible. Isaac spent days re-mending the body of the car. A few times, Isaac could still see the blood.

"Tram arriving station B4, twelve seconds arrival, thirty seconds departure", the intercom announced.

A newer model of the tram car pulled up to the station. The new shiny aluminum casting surrounded the craft. Isaac had the honor of help building such a craft. Isaac entered to find it empty again. The next train should be full, perhaps this one came from another abandoned station. The people in the district still worried in their homes. Isaac looked at the ceiling to find a few Television screens and a colorful map of the tram system. Forty-five stations, twenty trains, five maintenance facilities, and an administration building. The whole system is the veins and arteries of the city. People couldn't afford transportation any other way.

In another squeal, the train started to depart. The safety rails dropped and in a few moments, Isaac Clarke was in the tunnels again. The car was brightly lit with new lights. The television gave a few tips about using the tram system in bullet form with pictures of smiling people. Very light music could be heard. Gentle and pleasant, the citizens would listen to it in the morning. New Jazz they called it.

Isaac sat in a chair and inspected the car for a few more moments. He looked at the aluminum wall in front of him. He could see a small mark. Isaac moved to look even closer. It was initials. The marks were 'B.D.' from a welding tool. The initials probably belonged to another engineer but from what area Isaac could not tell. Most engineers liked to leave their markings around the city. From restrooms, to vehicles, to even public art, the engineers had a permanent message for people to remember them. A small statue in front of city hall had the small initials I.C.

Isaac looked up to find the lights dimming. The TV screen flashed into static. The music dissipated. Emergency brakes started and a few red lights activated. Isaac lurched in his seat and nearly fell over. The car started to shake with an intense squealing striking Isaac's ears. Isaac held on till the car stopped. He thought the car jumped the track, a critical failure. It was another power failure. With that, the car started an emergency break. The lights were out except for a few emergency lights. The lights would only last for thirty minutes. Power outages usually last only minutes.

Isaac pulled open a door. He jumped to the floor with a small thunderous pound announcing his drop. He looked both ways. The tunnel was almost completely dark. A few lights still remained but not for long. Isaac turned on his flashlight. His own light covered half the tunnel. It was reliable.

He started to walk down the tunnel. The train was less than a mile away from the power hub. He checked his communicator to call the power hub. There was no answer. From communications, to transportation, to the god damned lights, this power outage could turn into a disaster. With only a few lights, the tunnel had a blue hue. It was quiet but Isaac could hear an intercom calling in the far distance.


	4. Chapter 4

The tunnel was designed to be strong against Jupiter's gravity. Steel rivets covered the tunnel reinforcing the walls and ceiling. It was meant to be used for decades. Also, electrical wiring and panels covered the walls. Isaac could look through a few of the vents stuck by the floor to see different pipes. The tunnel helped carry the utilities for the city. Isaac continued to walk to find a few small windows. He looked across to see the power hub. The power hug was a cylindrical building. It was well lit using the majority of emergency power. He could not see any human silhouettes through the windows.

Isaac Clarke turned around aiming his flash at the vent from across the tunnel. He heard a simple creak. Isaac walked slowly to the vent. He thought he saw some movement. Isaac aimed his flashlight into the vent. It was empty except for a small bolt rolling across the floor. Isaac strained his eyes and ears. He heard a few more taps. Finally, he heard a thud then all was quiet. Isaac walked backwards to the middle of the tunnel. His pulse rose. The tunnel seemed to have shrunk.

But he did not have claustrophobia! Isaac took a few deep breaths. Was he about to have a panic attack? He shook his fears away and started to walk to the power hub. The tunnel no longer shrinking. A small buzz started in Isaac's headgear. Dave was again calling.

"Isaac, I lost contact with Clemson. I think he left us while on the job. Were heading back to our maintenance station. This is bigger than anyone could of thought. We did a few repairs but could not find any real faults. Get to the power hub and look for any damage in the computer systems. Those dolts at the power hub must be asleep!"

Dave ended the communiqué.

Isaac jogged down the tunnel to find a brightly lit white door. With the words 'Power Hub' written across, he arrived. He took his I.D. tag and put it into a security lock. A small beep showed Isaac had permission to enter. He walked through a small break room to the control room. When Isaac entered, he jumped. The panels were smashed. The windows were cracked and a few pipes were smashed. The chairs by the panels were sprawled across the floor. Isaac could finally see blood splatter on the floor. Finally, Isaac noticed a few pieces of torn clothes.

Isaac's vision blurred. Without control, he walked against the wall and was paralyzed with fear. He looked at his hand and lightly punched his communication gear on his helmet. With tried to slow down his breathing while the gear was searching for a signal. He heard mostly static but ignored it as he continued to survey the room. A vent was broken with the covering dented beyond use. The bolts holding it to the wall were torn out. A small blood trail lead to another hallway through a locked door. Finally, Isaac's communication gear connected with Dave.

"Isaac, whats the status of the power hub?"

"Its... destroyed... they're"

Isaac's vision blurred again. The room gained a yellow hue and the air no longer felt stale but humid and oppressive. The walls looked as if they bended inward towards Isaac. The fan blowing air into the room was louder than anything Dan could say. Isaac's stare was no longer focused but had a look of total fear. His vision continued to be distorted.

Then, the room's color returned, a bright white paint job. The fan's roar became more of a faint background noise. The walls straightened and Isaac's breathing became almost normal.

"Isaac, what are your doing? What is going on?"

"The room was destroyed, there's blood... you need to call security."

"Where is the team at the power hub?"

"They're gone. I can see blood on the floor."

"Isaac, you got to get the power back on. Our flashlights are about out..."

Isaac lost attention to Dave as he heard a noise on the other side of the room. Another door lead to a utility room for electrical systems. Blood lead from a chair to the door. There was a creak, a sound of metal equipment being used.

Isaac started to move from the wall. Every little noise brought him on edge. He nearly tip-toed to the control panel. Isaac tapped the screen. It immediately blared red. Just from an overlook, something bizarre happened to the building, all the utility systems for the power hub, and the staff who apparently ignored all of this until they disappeared.

'Warning : System glitch (Unknown Designation) detected in hardware room 4, water circulation'

'Warning : System glitch (Unknown Designation) detected in hardware room 4, safety lighting'

'Warning : System glitch (Unknown Designation) detected in hardware room 4, tram propulsion'

'Warning : System glitch (Unknown Designation) detected in hardware room 4, fuel circulation'

'Error : An unknown fatal error has caused system shutdown in water pump 32'

'Notice : Electrical anomaly detected hardware room 4'

'Notice : Five new messages in comms system'.

The new messages continued on for five pages. All these errors apparently started only this morning with the fatal errors and the shutdowns of the utilities only hours ago. This had to be some kind of virus but what virus could bypass all the security for this hub and ravage all the equipment. Why didn't the staff here shutdown the system, restart, or do basically anything.

Dave was calling again. Isaac quickly connected.

'Isaac, the security team is having trouble reaching your position. They are walking from their station a mile away and won't be running the whole time. I need you to give me a quick update on the power hub. Can you connect to a panel?'

'I could. There are so many errors, the panel can't list them all. But Dave, something horrible happened to the team here, there's blood everywhere!'

'Isaac, do one more thing for me, head into the utility room and check for physical damages to the servers. Software room B I think its called. If its not a virus, it could be sabotage. Then, leave and regroup with us at the tram system. We will wait and try to stay on with me Isaac.'

Isaac got away from the panel, still blaring new warnings and malfunctions. He approached the door to the utility room. Before using his security card to enter, Isaac had to hesitate. He looked at the blood entering the room. He looked around the room again, surveying the damage one more time. Isaac then noticed a card on the floor. It was an I.D. card for the overseer of this building. Nikoli Chelsea was in charge of this building. Isaac heard of him before, he wasn't a new guy. Nikoli had at least several years of experience. How did they fail?

Isaac placed the card into his pocket. He swiped his own card into the security lock. The doors opened a couple inches apart with a horrible metal bang then stopped. Isaac stood for a second or two with dread but the door then opened fully.

The servers weighed at least five hundred pounds but looked heavier. The servers stood ten feet high and were twice as this as Isaac. Each stored information for all the utility systems for this district of the city. But this failed to impress Isaac. Isaac was frozen in shock. The room had been destroyed. Severs were knocked down with one leaning against another. A plasma cutter had been fired several times and resulted in a few gaping wholes in the servers as well as a new leaking pipe spilling coolant fluid through-out the room. The lights were dimmed to keep the room cool. Isaac could barely see.

Wires were torn out from the wall panels and were draped across the floor. A chair was thrown and destroyed a small fire extinguisher. The small explosion resulted in the destruction of another server. Half the equipment in this room was effectively destroyed. No-wonder the district was in the process of becoming paralyzed.

The walls were dented and had a few splatters of blood. The blood of the once incompetent maintenance team started to mix with the coolant. The bodies of three were in this room. One was laying back-first against a server. His head, with an eye missing, was turned towards the security intercom.

Another body, unidentifiable at this point, was slumped in it's chair. It's had was on the security intercom button but couldn't press it in time. His leg was removed and Isaac didn't know where it went. The uniform was shredded as with a good portion of the body.

A third body layer face first against the desk. A gash opened up his back. By the looks of some other over-turned equipment and furniture, this man had been thrown at least ten feet.

This wasn't sabotage. All the staff were present in the room. Some kind-of creature had mauled the staff and Isaac didn't even have to come to the conclusion. He was already having a panic attack.

Isaac tried to grip a pipe to keep himself up but somehow his hand failed. His heart was pounding at speeds he hadn't known in a long time. Isaac slid against the floor, faint headed. Before passing out, Isaac noticed that the vent covering had fallen off.


	5. Intermission

END OF CHAPTER ONE

Sprawl :

Population : 1,342,526

Employed by CEC : 231,422 (Margin of Error : Unknown)

Excerpt from Galaxy's Travel Guide (Tourism Brochure) :

The history of Sprawl itself is relatively unknown. Sprawl establishment was official in 2321 with Earth's Defense Force establishing a final city government made up of a Parliament like system. Officials were voted in by the population or picked by EDF Authority. Sprawl itself was then known officially as a city with a structured government and a formal law enforcement division. Before, Sprawl was built and maintained by different mining companies, trading associations, Unitology groups, and even private individuals themselves.

The most notable establishments that existed that helped the origin of Sprawl includes CEC's very own mining facilities as well as a few others now bankrupt. Due to classified information, the deaths and fatalities on the mining facilities are unknown but are assumed to have been reduced with the establishment of Unitology hospitals. Local miners treated in these volunteer facilities established the worker's memorial located in the center of the Executive District commemorating those who had fallen for mining critical resources for Earth as well as thanking the Unitology personnel that treated the wounded.

For more information related to the mining activity pre-Sprawl, please go to Venire's Mining Museum in the Mega-Shopping complex.

Over the years, unloyal employees started to leave the CEC and dangerous mining facilities. A few even established a small colony independent of both Earth's Government and corporation authority. This might be considered the first Sprawl since it was a very small nearly self-sufficient colony. As consequence of the rebel like activity, pirates began to build small bases and build homes at the small colony. Following that, vice spread around the city with all kinds of crime.

The colony would be abandoned and condemned by EDF by 2234. Remains of the colony have been destroyed but a few fragments remain on the moon's surface. The miners had returned to corporate controlled colonies or even government funded shelters. The colony, without even an name, became a legend.


	6. Chapter 6

Fingers gripping the floor, Isaac's muscles started to respond. Recognizable objects appeared. The servers formed a black figure against a white background. Vents began to take shape as with the entire room. Isaac started to lift himself up. Just then two figures showed themselves in front of Isaac. One pushed an entirely new object in front of Isaac's face that could only be identified as a gun.

"Hey, don't move," The first figure said.

"Does he have a weapon?" the second figure said.

"Unarmed"

"I think he's the engineer the workman sent down here."

"Whatever, this is fucked up shit."

"He looks un-injured, he passed out."

"Start to get up."

Isaac continued to lift himself with the gun in view. The white veil blocking Isaac's vision disappeared to reveal the carnage stricken room. Two Sprawl officers continued to converse in font of Isaac. Two others were surveying the damage.

The first officer showed his I.D. card as Sergeant Charles Brenard. The other failed to do the same. The officers checked Isaac's I.D.

"Isaac Clarke... are you hurt?" The Charles asked.

"I don't think so," Isaac replied.

"Did you see who had done this?"

"No."

"Son of a bitch, look, it tore his back out. Who lost his mind," the second officer nearly screamed.

The two other officers in the back of the room came up.

"Alright, we found four bodies so far," one of the officers reported.

"Four homicides, and do you consider this an animal mauling Corporal," Brenard asked.

"There is no zoo in Sprawl!" the other officer exclaimed.

"Then what man could of done this," the sergeant asked.

"I don't know sir," the other officer responded.

The sergeant put his hand on his com link. Soon, the whole district police force would be on the scene, at least when most of the staff wakes up. This sort-of murder won't be ignored and be a horrible legend.

"EMC teams are arriving as well as more officers and the detective. We need to seal this whole area off. You know the reporters will want to take any possible picture. The reinforcements will arrive in E.T.A. thirty minutes," the Sergeant reported.

"Now what Sergeant?" one of the other officers asked.

"Seal the area and lock the doors but Isaac Clarke can leave."

"You can't just let an eyewitness leave the scene sir," the Sergeants partner reminded him.

"He came ten minutes before we arrived."

The Sergeant motioned Isaac to leave.

Isaac Clarke started to get better control of his breathing. Dan was trying to contact Isaac for the past twelve minutes. Isaac leaned against the wall in the control room and allowed Dan to speak.

"Isaac, you need to get to the train station ASAP."

"I had passed out Dan, they were slaughtered."

"There bodies in the hub? What killed them?"

"You know what, I have no idea."

"Isaac, we lost George just a few minutes ago. He was looking for Clemson. I lost two of my workmen in a small building and now one of my team-members just discovered a murder scene. This is a disaster."

"I'll head to the train station immediately."

Isaac disconnected and took a deep breath. He walked out of the control room and exited the hub. Just before Isaac exited though, he heard another sound from the vent. Isaac immediately turned his head towards the sound. A few thuds could be heard in the vent. An officer left the electrical room and looked at Isaac with his flashlight then towards the vent.

"Whats that noise?"

"I don't know"

"You better leave before the Sergeant realizes his mistake."

Isaac stared at the vent where the noise abated and left the room. Isaac walked back into the tunnel and shut the door behind him. The security lock sprang to life again and the small screen flashed red.

'Warning: Area condemned by Sprawl Police, area off limits. No access.'

Before walking off to the station, Isaac then realized something. There were seven men in the hub and only four bodies.


	7. Chapter 7

Isaac started to walk down the tunnel again. Without a train, the would be a good hour by walking or thirty minutes by running. A slow jog, Isaac started to ponder if the team will wait for him. He also wondered if they could some-how catch a train without any power. Isaac looked up to see a few more lights were on. The city had limited abilities of moving electricity to different districts. Otherwise, it was a chaotic and disunited utilities system. The new lights created small circles of clear light in the center of the tunnel. A little ways apart, they didn't make a clear path while making the outside areas seem all the darker. In the far distance, a few exit signs could be seen but usually lead to abandoned complexes or other walkways.

Isaac continued to jog until he found a small object on the ground. The tunnel was almost completely clean of debris when he trekked through earlier. He picked it up. It was merely a small but heavy piece of pie for... water or some kind of fluid. Still wet and dripping, the pipe must broken above and yet, he couldn't see any trails of pipe on the walls nearby. Isaac shook it off as not important and continued on. At one point, he passed a couple large vent entrances about the size of Isaac himself.

Isaac only peered into the vent for a moment but heard a distinct sound of a tool dropping. Isaac's body shook for a moment. He was disorientated only for a few seconds. When he regained his wits, he thought he saw some movement where his light ended. Isaac turned and began to jog down the tunnel at a much quicker pace. A few moments later, and he could hear another sound from the vent just like heavy footsteps yet there was second noise. It sounded as if someone was dragging a tool on the side of the vent. He finally heard some light pounding on the vent cover.

Isaac was in no mood to find out. He started to run down the tunnel. Isaac realized he was starting to have another panic attack. His legs started to feel numb. With a some-what desperate 'No', he kept running. Aim forward, Isaac's flashlight picked up on yellow tape. He was too panicked to realize what it was for a second only to find it the back of the train.

Suddenly, he heard the vent cover fall to the ground with a huge thud. A second waves of shaking traveled across Isaac's body. Distinct sounds of running could be heard behind Isaac. Isaac pounded on the back door of the train. With a little control, he grabbed a marked safety bar and threw it to the side. The door slid open.

Isaac jumped on the train and turned around. He still heard someone running towards him. On the verge of a panic attack, Isaac grabbed another bar on the door and slammed it shut. He turned around in the darkened train and sprinted to the end of the car through an open door. He sprinted through the second car and stopped. A light just appeared in the train car. Another light switched on. The power was returning?

The person by the back of the car was pounding on the door. Isaac turned around to run through the third car but it was closed. It was stuck without power and couldn't be opened. Isaac jumped around again. The person stopped banging on the back car. It was running around the side of the train!

Before Isaac could see the silhouette through the window, something struck it. A few splinters of glass struck Isaac harmlessly but enough to make him throw his arms up and duck. The window didn't break but there was huge crack on the window. The person was banging then on the windows of the third car.

Isaac was relieved for a millisecond and jumped two feet in the air at the same time. The doors for the third car slid open. Not bothering to look who's banging on the window, Isaac sprinted through the cars again. Various lights were turning on as well as the television playing static. Isaac kept sprinting till he saw the train's control car door. Locked too, Isaac had to use his card.

Isaac struggled with his belt until he found the card. He sliced the security lock a number of times until it lit up. The doors opened and Isaac rushed in only to hit his head on the curved glass in the cock-pit. Isaac fell back in pain both hands on his head. He regained control of his now spasming body when he heard the glass break in the third car. The window was shattered and Isaac could see glass flying across the car. The car also shook when the person threw himself in the car. The silhouette of the man was extremely blurry.

Isaac looked around the cockpit for a second until he saw a newly lit emergency lock door. He punched it once to have the door seal almost instantly. Isaac could see the strange silhouette in the back enter the light for a mere moment. Isaac body now achieved almost complete muscle failure. Isaac fell to the floor with a mild thud. Before loosing all sense of the world, Isaacs head started to roll around and felt his body being pulled back.


	8. Chapter 8

Isaac started to walk down the tunnel again. Without a train, the would be a good hour by walking or thirty minutes by running. A slow jog, Isaac started to ponder if the team will wait for him. He also wondered if they could some-how catch a train without any power. Isaac looked up to see a few more lights were on. The city had limited abilities of moving electricity to different districts. Otherwise, it was a chaotic and disunited utilities system. The new lights created small circles of clear light in the center of the tunnel. A little ways apart, they didn't make a clear path while making the outside areas seem all the darker. In the far distance, a few exit signs could be seen but usually lead to abandoned complexes or other walkways.

Issac continued to jog untill he found a small object on the ground. The tunnel was almost completely clean of debris when he trecked through earlier. He picked it up. It was merely a small but heavy peice of pie for... water or some kind of fluid. Still wet and dripping, the pipe must broken above and yet, he couldn't see any trails of pipe on the walls nearby. Issac shook it off as not important and continued on. At one point, he passed a couple large vent entrances about the size of Issac himself.

Isaac only peered into the vent for a moment but heard a distinct sound of a tool dropping. Isaac's body shook for a moment. He was disorientated only for a few seconds. When he regained his wits, he thought he saw some movement where his light ended. Isaac turned and began to jog down the tunnel at a much quicker pace. A few moments later, and he could hear another sound from the vent just like heavy footsteps yet there was second noise. It sounded as if someone was dragging a tool on the side of the vent. He finally heard some light pounding on the vent cover.

Isaac was in no mood to find out. He started to run down the tunnel. Isaac realized he was starting to have another panic attack. His legs started to feel numb. With a some-what desperate 'No', he kept running. Aim forward, Isaac's flashlight picked up on yellow tape. He was too panicked to realize what it was for a second only to find it the back of the train.

Suddenly, he heard the vent cover fall to the ground with a huge thud. A second waves of shaking traveled across Isaac's body. Distinct sounds of running could be heard behind Isaac. Isaac pounded on the back door of the train. With a little control, he grabbed a marked safety bar and threw it to the side. The door slid open.

Isaac jumped on the train and turned around. He still heard someone running towards him. On the verge of a panic attack, Isaac grabbed another bar on the door and slammed it shut. He turned around in the darkened train and sprinted to the end of the car through an open door. He sprinted through the second car and stopped. A light just appeared in the train car. Another light switched on. The power was returning?

The person by the back of the car was pounding on the door. Isaac turned around to run through the third car but it was closed. It was stuck without power and couldn't be opened. Isaac jumped around again. The person stopped banging on the back car. It was running around the side of the train!

Before Isaac could see the silhouette through the window, something struck it. A few splinters of glass struck Isaac harmlessly but enough to make him throw his arms up and duck. The window didn't break but there was huge crack on the window. The person was banging then on the windows of the third car.

Isaac was relieved for a millisecond and jumped two feet in the air at the same time. The doors for the third car slid open. Not bothering to look who's banging on the window, Isaac sprinted through the cars again. Various lights were turning on as well as the television playing static. Isaac kept sprinting till he saw the train's control car door. Locked too, Isaac had to use his card.

Isaac struggled with his belt until he found the card. He sliced the security lock a number of times until it lit up. The doors opened and Isaac rushed in only to hit his head on the curved glass in the cock-pit. Isaac fell back in pain both hands on his head. He regained control of his now spasming body when he heard the glass break in the third car. The window was shattered and Isaac could see glass flying across the car. The car also shook when the person threw himself in the car. The silhouette of the man was extremely blurry.

Isaac looked around the cockpit for a second until he saw a newly lit emergency lock door. He punched it once to have the door seal almost instantly. Isaac could see the strange silhouette in the back enter the light for a mere moment. Isaac body now achieved almost complete muscle failure. Isaac fell to the floor with a mild thud. Before loosing all sense of the world, Isaacs head started to roll around and felt his body being pulled back.

Murky yellow lights flooded the cockpit. The tram had entered the station thirty minutes behind schedule and with several maintenance warnings blaring in the control panel. The electrical systems for cars one, two, three, and four have failed as well as the breaking system, hydraulic system, and doors. The train started to slow down with a slight but constant creaking coming from the train wheels. From sixty mile per hour speeds it quickly slowed to twenty then fifteen then ten then almost nothing.

Doors for all cars opened except for car one, two, three, and four. The sudden halt that most passengers have trouble getting used to in Sprawl allowed Isaac to slide against the wall. The sudden halt made Isaac hit his helmet against the door. Pain and injury avoided, the bang itself made Isaac stir. Hopefully not a soon to be common occurrence, Isaac noticed the feelings in his external limbs return. His fingers gripped into a fist, his toes flexed inward and outward.

His over-all vision started to return. From a bright yellow, it became a slightly darker mellow color. From a slightly darker mellow color, it became the annoying dull light of a failing light-bulb. Isaac without a single thought started to stand up. He stood almost to fall over again but over-all gained his composure. He flexed his arms and with a sigh of relief he was okay.

Isaac took his helmet off and looked across the empty station but at the very end, he could see the maintenance team sitting on the couch. Though Dan and Robert were almost out of Isaac's view but just enough to see their faces stuck in a look of absolute shock.

Isaac used his card for the door to unlock. The door opened in a quick second. Isaac almost head out of the nearest exit when he came to a dead stop. Isaac made a face of Robert and Dan. Isaac could look down the first two cars from the cockpit yet half of the third car is missing. The rest of the cars were gone.

With a railing sound, the first exit door opened. Dan appeared with a look of disbelief and anger. Dan grabbed Isaac's shoulder and nearly threw him out of the car.

"Isaac, what the hell just happened!"

"I don't know," was all Isaac could offer.

"Half the train is missing and you don't know what happened!"

"I was knocked out... I was attacked!"

"By who Isaac?"

"I don't know!"

"What did you do Isaac? Did you destroy the clamps for the cars?"

"I didn't! Something attacked the car, I ran to the cockpit, and passed out."

Dan took both hands around his hid. Messaging his temple Dan though of the consequences.

"This is not good. We need to call the police and have them look at the damage. Dammit Isaac."

Robert took the liberty at looking at the third car. Most of it was gone except a portion of the room, some of the seats, and half the bottom section. It was torn in half with jagged metal at the edge pulling downward. The weakest point in a tram car is the middle but still would require industrial tools to tear off. Though, the hydraulic, coolant, and electrical cables were also pulled off. Random jabs were placed into the bottom of the car with the broken metal pushing upward. It was as if a large spear had struck the bottom of the car.

"Dan, did Isaac have his tool gun kit with him as he went to the power hub," Robert asked.

"No, Isaac left it in the building we searched," Clemons answered.

"Then how could he destroy the car?"

"I don't know".

Isaac looked across the station. Clemons and the other maintenance team members had gotten out of their seats to check out the train as well.

"I have never seen this type of damage before. Its like someone shot industrial bolts through the bottom," Clemons commented.

"Clemons, didn't you get lost," Isaac asked.

"The doors malfunctioned and I had to make my way back to Dan," Clemons answered.

"Isaac, I don't know what the hell happened but you are being switch to another maintenance team, hopefully across the city," Dan said angrily.

"Isaac clearly couldn't of done it," Robert protested.

"I don't care. Let the police decide it."

Dan looked down the semi-lit tunnel for the missing cars. They must be at least four miles down the track.

"You think this was some-sort-of prank," one of the other co-workers asked.

"Are you crazy, we got to get the police down here. For all what is happening, this hole area will be quarantined and..."

All men on the platform stopped their speculation and stared down the tunnel. From the very back of the tunnel where it started to slump down at angle came a cry. It was deep moan that suggested something was injured. The cry lasted for a good five seconds until the hole train station returned to silence.

"What the F#$ was that," one of the co-workers asked.

"I have no idea," was all Dan could muster.

The co-worker took out his flashlight and aimed it down the tunnel. It couldn't of reached more than thirty feet down the tunnel while the rest of semi-illuminated from the lights on the ceiling. All men continued to look down the tunnel until Dan pointed towards the last light. At the end of tunnel, the last light illuminated a figure. The figure was about six feet tall and had recently took two steps into the light. His pose was off with large oddly outstretched arms. The figure took a third step which Dan and a few of the work crew struck as odd. Most likely a man, it took a long step into the middle of the light adding further obscurity.

"Who is that," Clemons asked.

"I don't know. He looks injured. Robert, call security."

The figure took two more steps leaving the light. All co-workers continued to stare down the tunnel with all concentration. Robert didn't bother calling security as he continued to look at the tunnel. The figure re-appeared again with a walk but a quicker pace. The figure seemed to be in a limp like stride but continued on. The workmen crew continued to look in morbid curiosity.

The figure was briskly limping through the third light continuing with his arms outstretched. It left from view only to arrive at the fourth. The older and dimmer light gave the workmen the first clearer look at the figure. Probably an injured man or the person who had assaulted Isaac, it looked as if it was wearing some-kind of cast on its arms. None of the men could see the hands.

"Isaac, you think he was the man that attacked you," Dan asked looking around the room. Isaac was not to be found.

All attention once again returned to the tunnel where the figure entered the fifth light. It slowed down to a slow but long limp. It looked as if it was about to fall forwards when in made an athletic pose of a man about to shoot a gravity ball. Both legs were fully bent. The figure gained its compose by coming back to a full stand, recovering from its near fall by its poorly reacting arms but nearly tumbled back.

The figures head moved up and gave out another moan. The moan suggested injury and suffering.

The hairs on the back of Dan's skin stood straight up.

The figure now started long strides down the tunnel towards the men without a limp. The hands could still not be seen.

Dan regained his sense and asked again for Isaac.

"Isaac, where did you go?"

Dan quickly used his headgear to contact Isaac but got no response but just then saw the movement of the creature in the corner of his eye still walking briskly down the hall.

The figure was now walking with long strides without any visual discomfort from the now misshapen arms. It was over half-way from the tunnel's incline down to the tram-station.

Suddenly, a bright light blinded the work crew. All men could no longer see the figure with the intensity of the light. Dan for a second thought of an explosion but the lighting already was dissipating. Someone had activated emergency lights and other lights for the people who minded the darkness.

All men placed their arms down and looked down the tunnel once more. The figure, now identifiable as a man, stood seventy five yards from the platform. The man's face was covered in fresh blood glistening against the bright lights. The hair was shaggy as were the rest of his appearance. The clothes were ripped to shreds with pieces of cloth sticking the man's broken chest.

The chest had severe injuries with several ribs jutting out. Two odd arm like appendages moved in a simple up and down motion and where his abdomen would be. Several massive cuts and tears could be seen on the legs with bone visible in one of it's calf's.

Though, what now concerned the men was the two scythe like appendages on the arms, also covered extensively with blood, and two piercing orange eyes.

Clemons jumped back "What the hell is that thing!"

Robert took clutched his hand to his chest while Dan dropped his tool box.

The creature had turned its head a few times to avoid the unnaturally bright light but soon enough the emergency lights faded. The creature began advancing towards the station.

Clemons started to run towards the exit of the station but was nearly knocked to the ground by Isaac sprinting past him. Isaac jumped back onto the train and returned to the control car.

The creature had noticed the men on the platform and started to dash down the tunnel.

Dan had stopped his shaking hands and opened his tool box filled with a few papers and useless items to pick up a small and old P-Sec Pistol. Dan grabbed the weapon and aimed it down the tunnel towards the creature.

Before he could start off a single shot, Isaac had left the control room and screamed at all the men.

"Get into the car quick!" "Get in!" "Get in!"


End file.
